Origin, Values and CeremoniesOrigin and Values

ORIGINS AND VALUES

The Ancient Greeks considered fire to be a divine element, and they maintained perpetualfires in front of their principal temples. This was the case in the sanctuary of Olympia, where theAncient Olympic Games took place. The flame was lit using the rays of the sun, to ensure itspurity, and a skaphia, the ancestor of the parabolic mirror used today for lighting theOlympic flame. A flame burned permanently on the altar of the goddess Hestia, and such fireswere also lit on the altars of Zeus and Hera, in front of whose temple the Olympic flame is littoday.

In the context of the modern Games, the Olympic flame represents the positive valuesthat Man has always associated with fire. The purity of the flame is guaranteed by the way it islit using the sun‟s rays. The choice of Olympia as a departure point emphasises the linkbetween the Ancient and Modern Games and underlines the profound connection betweenthese two events.